What is a cold-climate heat pump?
A cold-climate heat pump is built to keep heating your home efficiently when it's well below freezing outside. Older heat pumps lost capacity as the temperature dropped, and that's where most of the "heat pumps don't work in winter" skepticism comes from. If your neighbor had a heat pump in 2008 that couldn't keep up in January, their experience was real. The technology just wasn't there yet. It is now.
How cold-climate performance actually works
Modern cold-climate systems use variable-speed compressors and refrigerants designed for low temperatures, so they hold their efficiency far below freezing. A heat pump moves existing heat energy from the outdoor air into your home rather than creating heat, and a true cold-climate unit can keep doing that even when it's well below zero.
How Jetson handles cold weather
Jetson installs cold-climate equipment (Jetson Air) rated to run in deep sub-zero conditions, and it has real installs working through full winters in cold markets. Stephen Lake puts the range plainly:
"The units we install, they work down to -22 Fahrenheit, -30 C, and they still have extremely high efficiencies even in those way sub-zero temperatures." (listen, 13:35)
"The majority of homes in Norway are heated with heat pumps today. Hundreds of homes installed here in British Columbia, in Colorado, which is even colder, and they actually see minus 20 temperatures there heated 100% with heat pumps, no backup heat." (listen, 13:50)
Because the systems are sized accurately (see Manual J), backup electric heat strips rarely need to run. For a cold Canadian market like Ottawa, Stephen Lake is blunt about it:
"In Ottawa, your heat strip will likely never run." (listen, 42:49)
Want to know what a cold-climate system would cost for your home? see your price and local rebates from your address, no contractor visit required. For a deeper look, see cold-climate heat pumps and how heat pumps work in cold weather.
Common questions
Do cold-climate heat pumps need a backup furnace? In most homes, no. A properly sized modern system handles the load on its own.
How cold can they go? The equipment Jetson installs is rated to roughly -22°F (-30°C).